I wisely bought four diplomats when they were available...and had a fellow
FMLer (Hi, Sandy!) ask me about them.  When I told her that my source had
dried up she asked me what the mat material was like.  I told her that they
appeared to be the same stuff as the mats sold through office supply stores
to place under chairs to save carpetting and make rolling the chair easier.
 
Sandy made the comment that she would just go to an office supply store and
buy some to cut to shape.
 
I'm sure this would be an alternative for many needy ferret families.  Just
make sure to get a good, heavy duty carpeting knife or similar tool to
shape it with.  I'm sure your local hardware store can steer you in the
right direction.  Before cutting, I'd suggest you make a pattern out of
newspaper or other large sheet paper.
 
I wouldn't encourage people to use plexiglas for two reasons.  I used to
use it under my cage because Amadeus used to like to use the bars of the
cage as a litter pan and I wanted to protect my landlord's carpetting from
his bad toilet habits.  When I stepped on it, it cracked and eventually
broke.  Also, I use plexiglas for door barriers, and I got a horrible
splinter in my hand from it that took awhile to get out.  NOT fun.
 
This stuff will lay flat w/o taping, which makes it more long-lasting and
convenient than plastic carpet runners.  I'm not sure of the cost, but if
it protects carpeting it has to pay for itself in the long run.
 
Pat
[Posted in FML issue 2778]